Steve Willis | |
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 Willis at the 2015 InStyle Awards | |
| Born | 5 June 1976 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Other names | Commando Steve |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | The Biggest Loser |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Children | 4 |
Steve Willis (born 5 June 1976), also known as Commando Steve, is an Australian personal trainer, author and television personality. He appeared on the Australian version of The Biggest Loser as a trainer from 2007 to 2015.
Willis was born in Brisbane, Queensland, but grew up in Redcliffe. He is the eldest of four brothers. [1]
Willis initially wanted to be a builder, [1] but he joined the army in the 1990s. [2] He started out in the Infantry, before being posted to the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment as a fitness instructor (later 2nd Commando Regiment). [1] Willis left the army in 2004 (The Second Commando Regiment was formed in 2009 on the 19th of June, according to the ADF) having never passed Commando Selection Course. While working as a labourer, he studied personal training and specialises in CrossFit. Willis also competes in CrossFit Games. During a 2009 CrossFit competition, he came fourth out of 75 male competitors. [2]
In 2007, Willis joined the cast of The Biggest Loser as a trainer. [3] Willis was known for wearing dark sunglasses, camo pants, and a black sleeveless shirt. [4] Rarely smiling on the show, his motto was "there are no excuses". [4] Speaking to Nick Galvin of The Sydney Morning Herald , Willis said, "When it comes to the training and my ethos, Steve Willis and the screen persona 'The Commando' are the same person. I believe passionately in what I do". [4] Willis chose to depart The Biggest Loser after the tenth season aired in 2015. [5]
In May 2018, Willis made his acting debut in television soap opera Home and Away , with a guest appearance as an AFP trainer. [6] Two months later, it was confirmed that Willis had joined the cast of Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders , which began airing in August. [7] Willis became the 18th person eliminated from the show, and the 5th jury member. [8]
Willis was in a relationship with fellow Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges. [9] Bridges gave birth to their first child, a son, in 2015. [10] Willis has three more children from previous relationships. [11]
The 1st Commando Regiment is an Australian Army Reserve special forces unit, part of Special Operations Command with an integrated structure of regular (full-time) soldiers and reserve (part-time) soldiers, which together with the full-time Australian Army 2nd Commando Regiment, provides the commando capability to Special Operations Command. Raised in 1955 it is the oldest unit within Special Operations Command and in 2008 deployed to Afghanistan to become the first Australian Army Reserve force element on combat operations since World War II. The regiment is the Command's capability lead for special warfare.
Matt Shirvington is an Australian athlete and television presenter who held the Australian 100m national sprint title from 1998 to 2002. Shirvington is the third fastest Australian sprinter of all time. He qualified for the 100m semi-finals in Sydney 2000, finishing 5th.
Mathew Steve Rogers is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. He also played rugby union at the highest level, becoming a dual-code international.
The Biggest Loser is an Australian reality television show, based on the original American version of the same name. It is produced by Shine Australia and screened on Network Ten. Since 2015, the show has been hosted by former contestant Fiona Falkiner, It was formerly hosted by Ajay Rochester from 2006 to 2009 & former Olympian Hayley Lewis from 2010 to 2014. The show debuted on 13 February 2006, followed by a second season on 4 February 2007 which introduced Michelle Bridges, Shannan Ponton and Steve Willis. The third season began airing on 3 February 2008. A fourth season, which features couples competing as teams, started airing on 1 February 2009. A fifth season, which aired on 31 January 2010, featuring former Olympic swimmer Hayley Lewis as the new host, and in 2011 the show introduced the new trainer Tiffiny Hall. In its eleventh season, the show introduced new trainer Libby Babet. The show did not return in 2018 due to low ratings.
The special forces of the Australian Defence Force are units of Special Operations Command and associated units of the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force that conduct and or support special operations to advance and protect the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. The special forces of Australia have a lineage to a variety of units raised in the Second World War such as the Independent and Commando Companies, Z Special Unit, Navy Beach Commandos, and the Coastwatchers. Australian special forces have most recently been deployed to Iraq in Operation Okra as the Special Operations Task Group, as the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan, in Afghanistan in support of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and regularly for counter-terrorism pre-deploy to locations of major domestic events throughout Australia in readiness to support law enforcement such as the 2014 G20 Brisbane summit.
Mark Walter Scott is a public servant and university administrator who serves as the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sydney. He was the managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 2006 to 2016. Prior to commencing at the ABC, Scott had previously held a senior role at Fairfax Media, responsible for the editorial content of the group's major newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age.
Michelle Bridges is an Australian personal trainer, author and television personality. From 2007 to 2015, she was a trainer on the Australian version of The Biggest Loser, making her first appearance in the second season.
Leigh Peta Sales is an Australian journalist and author, best known for her work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The second season of the Australian version of the original NBC American reality television series The Biggest Loser premiered on Sunday 4 February 2007 at 7pm on Network Ten, with the finale on 26 April 2007. The show features 14 overweight contestants competing for A$200,000 and the title Australia's Biggest Loser for 2007. The eventual winner was Chris Garling, one of "The Outsiders", who lost 70.1 kg. Eliminated contestants also had the chance to compete for a runners-up prize of $50,000, which was won by Michael losing 70.0 kg. Five episodes were screened each week night, with a sixth episode introduced on Sunday nights. Industry experts were skeptical of its success screening on this competitive night. The show averaged more than 1 million viewers each night, peaking at 1,995,000 viewers for the finale and 1,560,000 viewers for a weigh-in show. Over 10,000 Australians applied, 2,000 more than the 2006 season. The show is licensed and produced by FremantleMedia Australia in association with Reveille.
Virginia Gay is an Australian actress, writer and director, mostly known for her work on the Australian TV dramas Winners & Losers, and All Saints.
Stephen James Irons is an Australian politician. He was the Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the electoral Division of Swan in Western Australia from the 2007 federal election to his retirement at the 2022 federal election.
The 2nd Commando Regiment is a special forces unit of the Australian Army and is part of Special Operations Command. The regiment was established on 19 June 2009 when the 4th Battalion RAR (Commando) was renamed. It is based at Holsworthy, New South Wales. The 2nd Commando Regiment trains and has served with coalition special forces units, and is highly regarded by these units. The regiment has been involved in operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, where it was used in a direct action warfighting role. It has also been involved in domestic security operations including the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 G20 Leaders Summit. In 2019, the regiment was made the Command's capability lead for strategic strike.
Rachael Finch is an Australian TV host, model, and beauty pageant titleholder. She was awarded the 'People's Choice Award' for the 2006 Miss Teen Australia and finished as 3rd runner-up at Miss Universe 2009.
Michelle J. Payne is an Australian jockey. She won the 2015 Melbourne Cup, riding Prince of Penzance, and is the first and only female jockey to win the event.
Tiffiny Elizabeth Hall is an Australian personal trainer, author, journalist and television personality best known from television appearances on Gladiators, the morning show The Circle (2010), The Biggest Loser Australia: Families (2011) and The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles (2012).
BridgeClimb Sydney is an Australian tourist attraction.
Damien Thomlinson is an Australian commando, swimmer, rally car navigator, para-snowboarder and author. He joined the Australian Army in 2005, and went on to serve in Afghanistan. While serving with the 2nd Commando Regiment in Tarin Kowt District in April 2009, the vehicle he was in drove over an improvised explosive planted by the Taliban. Thomlinson was severely injured, suffering wounds to his face, arms and legs; the damage to his legs was so severe that they were amputated. After undergoing extensive rehabilitation, he stayed with his unit in a desk job. In June 2011, to honour the memory of a friend who died in Afghanistan, he walked the 96-kilometre (60 mi) long Kokoda Track on rubber prosthetic legs as part of a 25-man team of Australian soldiers.
The ninth season of the Australian version of the original NBC reality television series The Biggest Loser, known as The Biggest Loser Australia: Challenge Australia, premiered on 19 January 2014 on Network Ten. This season saw the trainers head to Ararat, Victoria, which at the time of filming was Victoria's fattest town in order to change the lifestyles of its residents before bringing a select few residents back to the Biggest Loser House to compete for the title and prize money. Season 9 was won by Craig Booby.
Operation Okra is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to the military intervention against the Islamic State. The force is part of Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East. The operation commenced on 31 August 2014, and its initial stated aim was to combat ISIL threats in Iraq. In September 2015, the Australian airstrikes were extended to Syria. In June 2017, flights in Syria were temporarily halted in response to American forces shooting down a Syrian Air Force jet, before later being resumed.
The Australian Institute of Fitness (AIF) is a privately owned, registered training organisation, and the largest fitness training organisation in Australia. Beginning operations as the Health Studio Attendants course in Perth in 1979, the Institute became Australia's first national fitness training provider in 2000, with the merger of five state-based fitness training programs.
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